1. Technical Field
The invention relates to an animal drinker, preferably a line drinker, having at least one water supply line and a plurality of drinking valves which are assigned to the water supply line.
2. Prior Art
Drinkers of the type addressed here are employed to provide animals, in particular domestic animals, with the water they require. Such drinkers are usually configured so that the animals themselves can access the water to cover their needs.
So-called line drinkers are employed primarily in large-scale small animal husbandry, in particular for poultry. Hitherto well-known line drinkers are equipped with a plurality of drinking valves assigned to a elongate pipe string, thus making it possible to provide the drinking valves with water. The drinking valves can be actuated by the animals themselves.
If none or only a few of the drinking valves are actuated by the animals, the water in the pipe string stands still. Particularly at night, when the animals consume no water over an extended period of time, this can result in an disproportional increase in the germs normally present in the water. In addition, the water remaining in the pipe string for longer periods of time heats up significantly, especially in warmer geographical regions. These relatively high temperatures result in a rapid increase of germ growth in the water. In addition, however, the water remaining idle in the pipe string for an extended period of time can also cause solid particles to settle out in the water and end up in the drinking valves, which are sensitive to impurities, thus rendering them inoperable. Finally, an extended period of standing water containing chemical additives promotes the unmixing of the solution.